As news about the coronavirus first broke from Wuhan last December, anti-vaxxers were already hatching theories of how it was a government conspiracy to impose mandatory vaccinations. Even before the current pandemic, several factions had long questioned the science behind vaccines, arguing that it was a sinister plot by governments to control its citizens. It was no surprise then, that these same groups reacted fiercely to mandatory mask-wearing laws and social distancing guidelines. These conspiracy theorists have found a significant foothold in religious communities, who not only view vaccines as a violation of their personal liberty but also as an assault on their respective faiths.
These developments are hardly unexpected though, as anti-vaxxers have been around as long as immunization itself. In 1796 when the smallpox vaccine was made mandatory by Britain and the US, it was criticised for being “un-Christian” because part of a cowpox blister had to be injected into the human body to immunise against smallpox. Due to the lack of medical advancement and scientific experience, the practice was popularly viewed as unhygienic and as a “foreign assault on traditional order”, and was therefore met with widespread fear and mistrust.
Following a similar fate, the DPT vaccine caused a frenzy in the UK in the 1970s, after a hospital claimed that dozens of children had developed neurological conditions after they received the vaccine. The claims were later dismissed due to lack of evidence of direct co-relation, but the seed of doubt had already been sowed. Even more recently, in 2009, when the H1N1 influenza broke out in France, only 8% of the population took the vaccine due to an atmosphere of distrust created around how fast the vaccine was developed.
The link between religion and historical traditions is strong, and thus the advancement of technology, science, and medicine represents a challenge to this traditional order, generating scepticism. In general, religions’ mistrust in vaccines is grounded in the belief that the human body is sacred and must be allowed to heal naturally or with natural alternatives. For instance, both the Dutch Reformed Church and the Church of Christ, Scientist discourage vaccination if alternate solutions are available.
In addition, vaccines pose an ethical dilemma to some believers because of the use of animal and human tissue cells. For example, there is an unfounded but widespread belief that vaccines are made with fresh fetal tissue cells from aborted fetuses. This makes vaccines unethical in the eyes of individuals who hold a pro-life stance. In truth, even though fetal cell lines from decades ago are used in lab experiments, it is only to check if the vaccine looks promising; these cells are never actually used in the manufacturing on the vaccine itself. However, this has done little to assuage the concerns of religious communities.
Similarly, Islam and orthodox Judaism are concerned with the usage of pork derived gelatin, which is often used as a stabilizer to ensure vaccines remain safe and effective during storage and transport. Both religions view the consumption of pork as unclean and have therefore been divided over the use of vaccines. In 2018, the Indonesian Ulema Council, the Muslim clerical body that issues certifications on products permissible under Islamic law, decreed that the measles and rubella vaccines were haram, or unlawful, because of the gelatin component. “We’ve found ourselves in a position where we have no choice … there has not been a vaccine found to be halal and sacred,” an MUI official said. Following the decree, measles cases in the country spiked, giving Indonesia the third-highest rate of infections in the world.
To combat this stigma and religious resistance while still upholding public health standards, pharmaceutical companies have worked for years to develop pork-free vaccines. For example, the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis has produced meningitis vaccines that are free of pork-derived gelatin. Likewise, during the ongoing pandemic, Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca have issued statements assuring that their COVID vaccines are pork-free. However, it is still feared that, due to shortage of the vaccines and deals worth millions of dollars signed in advance, some Muslim majority nations like Indonesia will be forced to use vaccines that have not yet been certified gelatin-free.
Against this backdrop, some communities of faith have thankfully adapted their practice to protect public health. For instance, several practitioners of Islam and Judaism recognise that if pork is not consumed through the mouth but injected into the body for purposes of health, its “consumption” is allowed under religious laws. In fact, following this consensus, the Ulema Council in Indonesia issued another decree making the vaccines permissible.
Nevertheless, in spite of such promising developments, there continues to exist a vocal minority of anti-vaxxers, which is particularly concerning as countries aim to kickstart their recovery from the ongoing pandemic and move back to a sense of normalcy. When most of the world began imposing lockdowns in March, early polls showed that 26% of the adults in France and 14% of adults in the UK would refuse to take the vaccine when it became available. Likewise, in August, after Australia signed a deal to locally produce a coronavirus vaccine if one of the many candidates emerges as a viable solution to a pandemic, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that vaccine may be mandatory except in cases of medical exemptions. However, just hours later, following intense public backlash, Morrison backtracked and said that it won’t be mandatory but will be “widely encouraged” to reach a target to 95% immunization. A poll by Nine News found that 25% of Australians do not wish to get the vaccine once it becomes available.
A more recent survey by the Associated Press and the Center for Public Affairs Research carried out in the US found that only 47% of US respondents were ready to literally roll their sleeves up, with another 27% unsure. Moreover, 43% of the people in the US are worried that the vaccine itself will infect them. Even before these results were published, experts had warned of the overall decline in people’s trust in immunization and opined that the success of the COVID vaccine would also largely depend upon the willingness of people to take them.
Much of this fervent opposition can be attributed to extensive misinformation campaigns on social media, a problem which has been compounded by the lack of checks and balances on content posted online. These wild conspiracy theories have found willing messengers in communities of faith, who have traditionally been wary of government overreach, foreign interference, and of advancements in science that ‘disrupt’ what they perceive to be the natural order.
When governments began issuing bans on mass gatherings earlier this year, many religious communities saw these measures as an affront on their religion, wherein they believed that public health policies were designed to discourage or impede them from practising their faith. For example, in April, the Pakistani government restricted prayers in mosques by allowing only 3 to 5 people at a time. This decision was met with severe criticism by several hardliners, who threatened to violate the restrictions. Over 50 senior clerics warned the government and urged them to abide by religious norms while fighting against COVID-19.
Religious groups like the Christian Scientists, who believe in healing through prayer, are convinced that their faith will protect them from the disease. There are also many Muslims who believe that since the world is a creation of God, so is the virus, thus making fighting the pandemic “futile” because “God will protect the righteous” anyways. Although this belief keeps panic under control, it makes communities dangerously complacent. Just last month, an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in New York City was heavily fined for secretly conducting wedding with thousands of guests.
Religion has also often formed the basis for tensions between countries, as a result of which the scientific discoveries of one community are viewed with scepticism by another. Accordingly, the Taliban in southern Afghanistan has previously called polio vaccination an “American ploy to sterilize Muslim populations” and an attempt to “avert Allah’s will”. Muslim fundamentalists have also injected suspicions about the polio vaccine in Pakistan and Nigeria, where the UNICEF and WHO had to engage in dialogue with religious and political leaders in order to continue the program.
Religious leaders and communities have also pushed back against vaccination drives due to what some argue is the incompatibility of science with religion. For instance, many White evangelical churches believe that science is atheist and materialistic and has an underlying agenda of discouraging spiritual faith. On one level, some of these concerns are valid and are best illustrated by how many of these vaccines are produced by profit-hungry pharmaceutical companies whose primary concern may not be public health. Yet, this does not entirely invalidate the efficacy of the vaccines they produce.
These beliefs have driven many people of faith to opt for homoeopathic treatments to relieve the symptoms of diseases; however, such treatments fail to prevent the disease itself. Along similar lines, another misconception is that immunization is not required against “eradicated diseases” like measles and polio because they are largely non-existent. This, however, is untrue because continued mass vaccination is the very reason that these diseases have been controlled to such a great extent. This is evident from the resurgence of polio and measles worldwide during the ongoing pandemic, as vaccination services have been severely undercut by lockdown measures.
Despite these steep challenges, there are some viable solutions to ensure greater success of the COVID immunization program. To begin with, social media companies can flag content espousing conspiracy theories around the vaccine as disputed claims and additionally offer links to resources with verified facts. This method, however, is complicated by the fact that many now view such warnings as government overreach as well, and have thus turned to apps like Parler that do not police the content posted on their platforms.
In order to address this gap between public and scientific knowledge, governments must openly discuss the effectiveness and possible side effects of the vaccines. Conspiracy theories thrive in low trust environments. If people do not trust their governments, then civil societies or religious leaders who have credibility in eyes of the sceptics and are capable of influencing masses must not be sidelined. They must be involved and given adequate resources to truthfully engage with the public and must be made an active part of the narrative by health authorities, researchers, and pharmaceutical companies. For example, the Indonesian government has promised to include the Muslim clerical body in the COVID-19 vaccine procurement and certification process to strengthen public trust.
In this tug of war between the various competing authorities of power, the population bears the brunt of misinformation. As the ancient African proverb goes, when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. The end goal of governments must be to engage with religious figures, discuss concerns of religious permissibility, and work alongside them to educate the public so that more people can make informed choices, eventually leading to vaccination by consent.
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SOURCE: MATTHEW RODIER/SIPA USA/AP IMAGES